Scott Hsu, a singer-songwriter, composer, and producer, has often struggled with the feeling of not being “Asian enough.” However, writing songs in Mandarin has allowed the Massachusetts-based musician to reconnect with his Taiwanese roots and engage with the language he spoke with his parents.
“Participating in the Jade Music Fest Vancouver last year inspired me to explore different ways of expressing myself in Mandarin,” Hsu said in an email to Pancouver. He was particularly influenced by Jacq Teh’s song “Like U,” which blends English and Mandarin seamlessly. “I never imagined writing music that mixed the languages in this way.”
Hsu notes that most music is typically monolingual, with occasional words or lines from another language. However, he points out that it’s rare to see English and Mandarin blend so fluidly in music. This inspired him to adopt the same approach in his new pop-rock single, ” (I Just Wanna Be With You).” He describes the track as “a Chinglish Shoegazey Pop Rock song about chilling with your homegirl.”
“The seamless transition between languages matches the way I grew up speaking Mandarin with my family and other second-generation Mandarin speakers,” Hsu explains. “Sometimes we substituted words because we didn’t know them in one language, but other times, we used a word from one language because it expressed the meaning better.”
Hsu co-directed the official music video for the song with Cedric Yu in a small house in Vancouver. The video features cinematography by Yu and lighting by Krystal Chan and Cassidy Johnson. The cast includes Alex Tse, Adrian Pang, and Huy Pham.
In an interview with Pancouver, Hsu shared more about the inspiration behind the song and his creative process. He explained that he wanted to capture the feeling of wanting to be close to a loved one during stressful times. The Mandarin phrase (Pei Ni), which translates to “be with you,” perfectly expressed this sentiment. “I just wanna,” he said, referencing the song’s hook.
Musically, Hsu is proud of blending English and Mandarin in a way that feels authentic to his cross-cultural identity as a second-generation Taiwanese American. “There’s a simplicity to the Mandarin and English lyrics, and a playfulness in how they mix together that I really love,” he added. “I was able to express my feelings without using expensive words.”
Hsu also explained that his struggle with language proficiency influenced his decision to include Mandarin lyrics in the song. “Many Asian Americans like me struggle with the feeling of ‘being Asian enough,'” he said. “Writing in Mandarin has given me an opportunity to re-engage with Chinese culture and appreciate how poetic the language can be.”
Participating in Jade Music Fest Vancouver last year, Hsu was inspired by artists like Jacq Teh, whose seamless blend of English and Mandarin influenced his own musical direction. “Most music is monolingual, with occasional words or lines from another language,” Hsu observed. “But it’s rare to see English and Mandarin go back and forth seamlessly in music.”
The music video for ” (I Just Wanna Be With You)” is filled with fun visual effects. Hsu used stop motion to create a dreamy, magical feel for the interludes. “The idea was to show the ‘magic’ of Pei Ni energy,” he said. “Scott and the crew are housemates in a cozy Vancouver home, and Scott has the power of Pei Ni, which allows him to float around and spread good vibes to the crew.”
Hsu also reflected on the creative risk of releasing a song that may not be fully understood by all his listeners. “I feel amazing sharing this song because it shows a side of me that, for a long time, I’ve felt ashamed to show,” he said. “I wrote this song for myself as a way to reconnect with my Taiwanese heritage. I hope my cross-cultural listeners vibe with it, and I’m hoping people will resonate with the song, even if they need subtitles to understand all the words.”
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